Undergraduate Degrees Graduate Degrees Courses of Instruction

The School of Fine Arts emphasizes both the practice of art and the study of its history. The practice and appreciation of the fine arts give expression to the record of our shifting perceptions of ourselves and our environment, while the study of fine arts from an historical vantage point affords a perspective by which we can measure ourselves against our heritage. The programs of the School of Fine Arts emphasize the necessary skills, knowledge and experience essential to the creative and interpretive processes.

The student's personal and professional growth is stimulated and intensified by the intellectual and physical environment of the USC campus. Seminars, critiques and personal contact with the award-winning faculty, as well as with the visiting artists and scholars who comprise a strong and continuing lecture program, enrich the student's development.

The school's on-campus educational programs are conducted principally in Harris Hall, which was specifically designed and built, in 1938, to house the school, and in Watt Hall, dedicated in 1974. These two buildings provide well-equipped auditoriums, lecture and seminar rooms, studios, a student gallery, the university galleries, shop facilities and faculty and administrative offices. The library of the School of Fine Arts, located in Watt Hall, contains over 70,000 volumes and bound periodicals, micrographic facilities and a slide library with nearly 250,000 slides.

The study and practice of the fine arts are further enhanced by the particularly fertile artistic and cultural environment in which the school exists. The Los Angeles metropolitan area not only forms a major center for practicing artists and commercial galleries of significance on the contemporary art scene, but is also the home for such outstanding permanent collections as those of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, located in close proximity to the campus. Full advantage is taken of such local resources, with visits to galleries and museums forming an integral part of the student's course work.

Administration

Ruth Weisberg, M.A., Dean

Watt Hall of Architectureand Fine Arts 104
(213) 740-2787
FAX: (213) 749-9703
E-mail: finearts@usc.edu
URL: http://www.usc.edu/univ/entries/fine arts.html

Faculty

Professors: Jud Fine, M.F.A.; Robbert Flick, M.F.A.*; John Pollini, Ph.D.; Kenneth Price, M.F.A.; Ron Rizk, M.F.A.; Nancy Troy, Ph.D.; Ruth Weisberg, M.A.*; Jay S. Willis, M.A.

Associate Professors: Bob Alderette, M.F.A.; David Bunn, M.F.A.; Selma Holo, Ph.D.; Eunice Howe, Ph.D.*; Margaret Lazzari, M.F.A.*; Carolyn M. Malone, Ph.D.; Lynn Matteson, Ph.D.; Margit Omar, M.F.A.*

Assistant Professors: Kendall Brown, Ph.D.; Glenn Harcourt, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professors: Shelley Bennett, Ph.D.; John E. Bowlt, Ph.D.; Leslie Bowman, M.A.; Jane Cody, Ph.D.; Susan Ehrlich, Ph.D.; Kenneth Hamma, Ph.D.; Jerry Podony, M.F.A., C.A.C.; Marion True, Ph.D.

Lecturers: Kim Abeles, M.F.A.; Lisa Adams, M.F.A.; Anne Bray, M.F.A.; Elisabeth Cameron, M.A.; Robbie Conal, M.F.A.; Margaret Crawford, Ph.D.; Jessica Cusick, M.F.A.; Linda Day, M.F.A.; Virginia Fields, Ph.D.; Carol Goldstein, M.A.; F. Scott Hess, M.F.A.; Karen Koblitz, M.F.A.; Mark Lere, M.F.A.; Caryl Levy, M.A.; Andrea Liss, Ph.D.; John Mason, M.F.A.; Karl Matson, M.F.A.; Elizabeth McMillian, Ph.D.; Robin Mitchell, M.F.A.; Ann Page, M.F.A.; Marc Pally, M.F.A.; Jay Sagen, M.F.A.; Timothy Silverlake, M.F.A.; Elizabeth Smith, M.A.; Mitchell Syrop, M.F.A.; Toby Tannenbaum, M.A.; Brian Tucker, M.F.A.; Linda Venis, Ph.D.

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Hisako Asano, M.F.A.

Emeritus Professors: Keith A. Crown, B.F.A.; Edgar Ewing, B.F.A.

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

General Information

Degrees Offered

At the undergraduate level, the school offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts. The Bachelor of Arts (fine arts-studio arts) and the Bachelor of Arts (fine arts-art history) are offered in conjunction with the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The School of Fine Arts also offers minor programs in studio arts and in art history.

Degrees offered at the graduate level are: Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in art history/museum studies, Master of Public Art Studies, the Doctor of Philosophy in art history and the certificate in museum studies.

Minimum Grade Point Average Requirements

A grade of C (2.0) or higher is required in all studio and art history courses for all undergraduate majors in the School of Fine Arts. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained by all candidates for the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Arts. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required by all candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Undergraduate Admission

Admission to the School of Fine Arts at the undergraduate level is granted through the USC Office of Admission. A supplementary application form must be obtained from and returned to USC School of Fine Arts, University Park, Watt Hall 104, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Applicants applying before February 1 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester will receive priority consideration for admission to the university. The deadline for transfer applicants for the fall semester is April 1.

A portfolio consisting of 10-15 slides, in addition to the supplemental application, is required for B.F.A. or B.A. (Fine Arts-Studio Arts) studio transfer applicants. Freshman applicants are strongly urged to submit a porfolio of slides for talent scholarship consideration. Portfolios must be sent directly to the School of Fine Arts. For additional information, please write or call the USC School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292. Telephone (213) 740-2787.

General Education Requirements

A total of 64 units of general education courses is required for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and 40 units are required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Graduate Admission

Applications for admission to the graduate programs of the School of Fine Arts are evaluated by the USC Office of Admission before being forwarded to the school. Students must be admitted by both the Graduate School and the School of Fine Arts. The Graduate School's general admission requirements include official transcripts of all previous college and university work and official results of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations. (The GRE is not required of applicants to the Museum Studies Certificate Program or the Master of Public Art Studies program.)

Applicants to all graduate programs in the School of Fine Arts must submit a supplemental application, available from the USC School of Fine Arts, Watt Hall 104, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0292, and three letters of recommendation from instructors or persons able to comment on the applicant's creative and/or scholarly potential. Please note the additional admission requirements on the supplemental application form.

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